Audri Beugelsdijk

Audri Beugelsdijk serves as the Vice President of Survivor Services for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), overseeing immediate and long-term survivor support and outreach, and survivor programming. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology. She came to TAPS as a survivor in March 1997 after her husband CTRSN Jason Springer, USN, was lost at sea in the Pacific from the USS Kinkaid. As a Navy veteran as well, Audri is passionate about supporting our military families. Her work in honor of her late husband is a testament to her passion for the TAPS mission and her desire to offer safe places of hope and healing for all those grieving a military loss.

Sessions: Creating Meaning from Loss

Frank Campbell, PhD, LCSW, CT

Dr. Frank Campbell is the Executive Director Emeritus of the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, where he is developing the first National Training Center for Suicidology. He is also Senior Consultant for Campbell and Associates Consulting where he consults with communities on Active Postvention efforts and Forensic Suicidology cases. During his more than thirty years of working with those bereaved by suicide he introduced his Active Postvention Model (APM) in 1997 it is most commonly known as the LOSS Team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors). His work with survivors and victims of trauma has been featured in three discovery channel documentaries, multiple professional journals, and several book chapters. Frank has been a consultant to TAPS for years, beginning with the very first National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar in 2009.

Sessions: Opening Session | How to Grieve Like a Man (Men Only) | Metaphors for Healing | Grief Can Do THAT? | Closing Session

Bonnie Carroll

Bonnie Carroll is the President and Founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the leading national Military Service Organization providing comfort, care, and resources to all those grieving the death of a military loved one. Ms. Carroll founded TAPS following the death of her husband in an Army plane crash. She is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer, and she has served in the White House under three Presidents.

Sessions: Opening Session | God Winks | Closing Session

William G. (Bill) Hoy, DMin, FT

With more than 35 years of care for the dying and bereaved, Dr. Hoy is Clinical Professor of Medical Humanities at Baylor. He is widely regarded as an authority on the role of social support in death, dying and grief and his experience includes more than 20 years leading bereavement and pastoral care programs in hospice care. Dr. Hoy has authored more than 125 articles and book chapters as well as six books. His books include Road to Emmaus: Pastoral Care with the Dying and Bereaved (Compass, 2007); Do Funerals Matter? The Purposes and Practices of Death Rituals in Global Perspective (Routledge, 2013) and Bereavement Groups and the Role of Social Support: Integrating Theory, Research, and Practice (Routledge, 2016). In addition to his role with students at Baylor, he is a frequent presenter among groups of professional colleagues in health care across the United States and Canada. Dr. Hoy is active in the Association for Death Education & Counseling on whose board he served from 2012 to 2020 including six years as an officer. He also holds advisory board positions with Our House Grief Support Center in Los Angeles, California, Pathways Volunteer Hospice in Long Beach, California, and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) in Washington, D.C.

Sessions: Finding Hope after Loss | Handling the Holidays | Spirituality and Faith after a Loss

Becky Lomaka, MA, CT

Becky Lomaka is the Director of Grief Support and Education at O’Connor Mortuary in Laguna Hills, California. In her role at O’Connor, Becky provides education and resources on death, dying and bereavement to healthcare and hospice partners, faith communities, as well as the community at large. She is an instructor for the Institute for Exceptional Funeral Service, whose focus is to bridge the educational gap between Mortuary Science School and on-the-job Training. Becky served on the Board of Directors for The Association for Death Education and Counseling. Locally she serves on the Board of Directors for Newport Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council, the Advisory Council for the Trauma Intervention Program, the Board of Directors of Orange County Tremble Clefs and is a community educator for the Orange County Advance Care Planning Partners. Becky holds a deep belief that “Education is our most powerful tool in our efforts to help the community learn more about how to cope with death and the journey of grief after loss.” Through workshops, seminars and in-service programs, Becky is spreading awareness and changing grief-care for the better. Her true passion lies in normalizing the grief experience and helping to create a world in which grief is embraced, understood and respected.

Sessions: Parenting while Grieving | Leaning Into Our Grief

Andy McNiel, MA

Andy McNiel is the Senior Advisor of Youth Programs for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). He is an author and trainer on topics related to grief, bereavement, and end-of-life. Andy has been an advocate for healthy children, teenagers, and families throughout his career. He brings his dedication and expertise to TAPS, where he oversees, develops, and facilitates programming for young military survivors. He is co-founder and an executive partner of The Satori Group, LLC, a national education, management, and consulting company focused on grief and loss. He is the former CEO of The National Alliance for Grieving Children, Executive Director of The Amelia Center at Children's of Alabama, and Director of Counseling Services for Hospice of Martin and St. Lucie (now Treasure Health) in South Florida. Andy is a trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; a co-author of Supporting and Understanding Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals; and he previously served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). Andy holds an M.A. in counseling and a B.A. in religion.

Session: Managing Difficult Emotions after Loss

Lisa Zucker, MSW, LCSW, CT

Lisa is the owner of GriefTREE, a grief and trauma therapy practice offering Therapy, Resources, Education, and Events in South Florida. Lisa and her team of clinicians offer therapeutic services to people who have experienced losses of all kinds. She has served on boards including the TAPS Advisory Board, the Area Agency on Aging and Aging & Disability Resource Center for Broward County, and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies infant mortality review board. Following the tragic events in 2019 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Lisa was a founding member of Professionals United for Parkland where she served on the board, assisted with trainings, and provides pro-bono services to families impacted by the shooting. During this time, Lisa also became trained in additional trauma interventions including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). After unexpectedly losing her father in 2019 and her brother in 2021, Lisa expanded her therapy practice to a group practice in order to reach more people who are grieving or had experienced trauma, knowing that this helped continue her family legacy of serving the community and caring for others. As a Qualified Supervisor and Certified Thanatologist, Lisa guides her team of clinicians in grief and trauma therapy as well as providing the community with debriefings following tragedies, educational opportunities, and events for grievers, caregivers, and professionals wanting to learn more about grief and trauma.

Sessions: Difficult Conversations About Your Loss - Who, What, How Much, What do I say? | Grief and the Preservation of Self | More Than The Way They Died